An Analysis of the Latest Causes of Poor Fruit Set in Watermelons

Watermelons are much loved and favored by many people in China, and market demand is growing ever larger, with the planting area expanding accordingly. However, many beginners encounter the same problem during the growing process: poor fruit set. Poor fruit set can seriously affect watermelon yield and growers' income. So what exactly are the causes of poor fruit set in watermelons? Why do watermelons set fruit poorly? Let's take a look below!

1. Temperature

Watermelon is a crop that bears both male and female flowers, and relies on bees and other insects for pollination. However, if rainy, overcast, low-temperature weather occurs during flowering, it will affect pollination and fertilization, resulting in poor fruit set. In open-field cultivation, rainwater dripping onto the stigma causes the pollen to absorb water and burst, making pollination impossible. A high-temperature environment causes the watermelon vines to grow wildly and leggily, affecting the fruit's nutrients and water, and leading to poor fruit set.

2. Light

Watermelon is a fruit that craves sunlight, requiring a large amount of light intensity and duration throughout the entire growing period from sowing to ripening. If light is too weak, the internodes of the watermelon become long and the leaves become large and thin, making strong photosynthesis impossible, and ultimately causing flowers and fruits to drop due to insufficient nutrients; the final sugar content of the fruit will also decrease, resulting in poor quality.

3. Water

Watermelon has particularly strong drought tolerance, and the environment in which it grows requires relatively dry soil and air. If the relative humidity in the air is higher than 60%, watermelon growth will be stunted, the fruit-setting rate will decline, and pests and diseases will easily occur. However, if it is lower than 50%, it will affect watermelon growth and also pose a certain hazard to pollen germination. The soil's water-holding capacity needs to be maintained between 65% and 75%.

4. Density

Planting density should be neither too dense nor too sparse. Too dense means each watermelon cannot absorb nutrients evenly, and it cannot be guaranteed that all watermelons will grow and develop normally; they may even develop deformities. Moreover, field aeration is too poor, seriously affecting the growth of the underground stems and leaves, and causing poor fruit set. Too sparse leads to excessive nutrients in the watermelon, causing the watermelon to grow tillers and affecting normal fruit development.

5. Nitrogen Fertilizer

Many friends use excessive amounts of nitrogen fertilizer in order to increase watermelon yield and quality, but this backfires. Although nitrogen fertilizer promotes growth, excessive application causes the watermelon vines, leaves and stems to grow leggily, creating an imbalance between vegetative growth and reproductive growth. The fruit then suffers from malnutrition, leading to poor fruit set or even flower drop and fruit abortion.

Alright, those are the main causes of poor fruit set in watermelons. Of course, there are more besides these, such as pests and diseases. If watermelon pests and diseases are not prevented in time, or diseased fruits are not dealt with, the pests and diseases will harm the growth of the fruit and also cause flower drop and poor fruit set in watermelons. So I hope everyone will pay more attention in normal times and reduce or eliminate this situation as much as possible.